WASHINGTON CLASS 2B STATE CHAMPIONS: Colfax Bulldogs boys complete the perfect season

SPOKANE — Last year, the Colfax Bulldogs boys basketball team suffered a disappointing and surprising loss in a Washington Class 2B regional crossover game. It was an abrupt end to a season many thought would end with Colfax making a deep run into the state tournament.

The Bulldogs responded to that disappointment from last year by becoming perfect.

Colfax beat the Columbia (Burbank) Coyotes 65-52 in the state championship on Saturday at Spokane Arena, capped off an undefeated season and handed Columbia its first loss of the year in the process.

“I’m kind of speechless a little bit,” Colfax coach Reece Jenkin said. “We knew coming into this game Columbia was an incredible team and this would be a heck of a game. And I couldn’t be more proud. We’ve had adversity all year. We’ve been in some tough spots and this was another one (Saturday). ... You’re just watching that clock the last minute and you’re just like ‘go, go, go.’ And finally, it was over. And we get to celebrate our season.”

The Bulldogs (29-0) can now call themselves champions. But, until the final two minutes, that title was in question.

Here’s how Saturday’s state championship game shaped out:

Long ball gives Colfax the early advantage

Colfax’s unblemished résumé came in large part due to their balanced offense throughout the season. But, in the first half, it was the 3-pointer that took center stage.

The Bulldogs swished in four of their nine 3s in the first quarter and went into the second leading 19-12. Sophomore guard Adrik Jenkin had three of his five triples in the first quarter and finished the frame with nine of his 19 points for the game.

The Coyotes (26-1) started to find their rhythm more in the second quarter and forced several key turnovers. When Colfax’s 6-foot-9 senior forward JP Wigen was on the bench, Columbia used that opening to get the game back within two possessions. The Coyotes used their size advantage with Wigen on the bench to go inside the paint more frequently and trailed the Bulldogs 31-27 at halftime.

This set the stage for a dramatic second half apropos for two unbeatens on the grandest stage of their classification.

Bulldogs' late spurt seals game

When the second half started, Columbia adjusted its defense, which benefited the offense. The Coyotes chose to move their taller players to the perimeter rather than match them man-to-man with Wigen. This led to two early turnovers and quick transition buckets to give the Coyotes their first lead of the game at 33-31 with 5:51 left in the third.

Columbia’s adjustment on defense also made the 3-pointer harder to come by for Colfax and led to more opportunities to score inside for the white, blue and yellow-clad players.

Colfax seniors Seth Lustig and Jaxon Wick and junior Jayce Kelly scored the lion’s share of their points in the second half. Lustig often went head-to-head with the Coyotes’ stout interior defense and drew critical fouls. Lustig finished with 19 points and went 12-for-12 at the free-throw line. Wick notched 13 points and Kelly had six from going 6-of-8 at the charity stripe.

“That’s really been our season all year,” Reece Jenkin said. “We’ve had multiple guys step up all year in different games and it’s not always the same kids. Jayce scored some big buckets the first two games for us. Tonight, he didn’t have as good an offensive game as he had. But then Adrik did or Seth did or JP did, and that’s kind of what it’s been all season for these guys. They care for each other, they don’t have big egos. It’s really about us as a team and us finding a way to get a win.”

The back-and-forth that would make a see-saw blush continued and the teams exchanged advantages. Neither team led by more than two possessions until the last three minutes of the game.

Up 50-49 with just under three minutes left, the Bulldogs went on the longest unanswered scoring stretch of the game for either team: Wigen scored off the glass on a second-chance bucket, Adrik Jenkin hit a quick 3-pointer in transition, Wick completed a traditional and-one play and Lustig got fouled and nailed both attempts at the free-throw line.

With 1:17 left in the game, Colfax led 59-49. The Coyotes were forced to intentionally foul the rest of the way and the Bulldogs made all six attempts. Colfax allowed just one more bucket to Columbia.

With that spurt and the final buzzer, the Bulldogs celebrated their new hardware in front of the 3,000-person crowd at Spokane Arena.

The win was the final hurdle for a Colfax team that has felt right on the cusp of postseason success for so long. It also wraps up decorated careers for Lustig, Wick, Wigen, Bradyn Heilsberg and Brice Hammer, all seniors.

“It means everything,” Lustig said. “It’s something we’ve been dreaming about since we were little kids. To do this in our last year, it means everything. ... We’re all best friends. We all started the dream together. It wasn’t just one of our dreams, it was all of our dreams. We’ve talked about winning it together and with the addition of Jayce, when he came in this summer we all said to him ‘We want to win. We want to win the state championship.’ And to do it undefeated, again, it means everything.”

COLUMBIA (26-1)

Mason Schumacher 0 0-0 0, Crew Pariera 2 0-0 4, Tristan Frimodt 4 0-0 9, Caden Ross 3 0-0 7, Quincy Scott 7 2-2 16, Brandon Leahy 1 1-1 3, Braxton Couch 0 0-0 0, Elijah Kinsey 5 3-3 13. Totals 22 5-5 52.

COLFAX (29-0)

Bradyn Heilsberg 0 2-2 2, Jayce Kelly 0 6-8 6, Seth Lustig 3 12-12 19, Brice Hammer 0 0-0 0, Adrik Jenkin 6 2-2 19, Jaxon Wick 4 2-3 13, JP Wigen 3 0-0 6. Totals 16 24-27 65.

Columbia 12 15 14 11—52

Colfax 19 12 13 21—65

3-point goals — Frimodt, Ross, Leahy, Jenkin 5, Wick 3, Lustig.

Kowatsch can be contacted at 208-848-2268, tkowtasch@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @Teren_Kowatsch.